There must be something about this time of year. Perhaps it’s the cold weather that reminds me that for the next few months I will be happily cocooned at home. Yes, happily because I can concentrate on my writing instead of trying to cram it in between other things. Anyway, weather or not, I’ve been hit with a bug.
It started when I needed to lay my hands on a certain book to check a research fact. I knew I’d read it. It wasn’t on my shelves–which prompted me to sort my research books according to subject and/or era and get rid of the ones I will never use. However, I didn’t find it there. So I dug through one of the boxes of notes, clippings, bits of paper…. very frustrating.
 I found it eventually although by that time I was dusty and ruffled. And I decided there had to be a better way. I consulted writing friends and got some good ideas and set to work.
First, on a computer file, I listed all the research books I had read, where they were (some were in the local library) and a little bit about the specfic information I could find in each book. That step was fairly simple.
Then I tackled the 3 boxes and foot high stack of clippings, printouts, pamphlets, etc. Following a suggestion from one of my consultants that I felt would fit my life style (simple but orderly) I slipped everything into plastic sleeves and sorted it all according to subject and/or era then popped everything into binders.  I labeled the binders and voila. I am organized. See the proof. I know it doesn’t look like much but you should have seen the before mess which I was too embarassed to reveal.



I still want to organize the research books I have that haven’t been read by me. But that will come later.
I found lots of interesting little things.  Like this: